Gender gap helps Obama

Women have comprised a majority of the eligible electorate since 1964, and also hold another advantage because, proportionately, they vote more than men.

According to a few recent polls, this may be why Obama could very possibly be re-elected next November. The USA/Gallop Poll gives Obama an 18-point lead in key battleground states. His advantage in 2008 was 12 points, so he is ahead of that historic year. Both the NBC/Marist poll and the Quinnipiac poll also show him with a good lead over Romney, who is the obvious choice for the Republicans this year.

It can’t come as a surprise to anyone that women prefer Obama — because it seems to me that no woman in her right mind would vote for a Republican this year. The old Republican Party is gone, and the new radical one wants to take us back to the 1950’s or earlier. I don’t mean that women who vote for Republicans are crazy, just that they must have a very distorted view of themselves. After the ridiculous anti — women antics of the Republican Party this past year, why would any woman want to give a bunch of old, white men control over her body and her life? Why would any woman listen to anyone, whether a priest, pastor, husband, friend, or politician more than she listens to herself? Why would she vote against her own self-interest, her own health, her own future. Well, apparently she wouldn’t.

The gender gap is greatest for women under 50, so maybe the past decades of more equality for women is working. Most women can clearly see that things are better now than they were four years ago. Maybe not as good as they would like; the progress has been slow, but at least steady. But to lose all the gains they have made would change the lives of women in a very negative way. It would hurt their families as well. Lots of women without access to basic health care, preventive care, contraception, choice of controlling their own bodies — maybe this would take us back to another century, not just a past decade.

So for women this is an extremely important election. They need to not only vote, but work for the candidate they hope will be president. And that is Obama. Men, of course, will work with them. This election will be a test about how much an election can be bought. Since Citizen’s United that will be an important factor. We will have a chance to see if people power can outperform money power. And women will be one key to that answer. Their energy, their beliefs, their commitment can provide us with a society that will have concern for the common good.

It’s going to be a long, hot summer and a long fall as well. The future of what we want our country to be is on the line. The contrast between the two visions is stark. It is especially stark for women. They can not afford to sit back this year.

I hope next November we will see the re-election of a great president who cares about all the people of this country. One who has done everything in his power to create a better country, and who is respected around the world. Women can make this happen. And they are happy to have men as partners in this endeavor. So let’s do it — let’s show the country that they can’t discount women. We deserve better than that.